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I recently read an article called “A New Global Warming Strategy” in which author Noam Mohr concludes that “possibly the best way to reduce global warming in our lives is to reduce or eliminate our consumption of animal products. Simply by becoming vegetarian (or , strictly speaking, vegan), we can eliminate one of the main sources of methane emissions, the greenhouse gas responsible for almost half of the global warming that affects the planet today. “
Methane is not only produced by cow burps (which is also the source of 2/3 of all ammonia), but also comes from livestock and poultry manure.
Noam Mohr’s article is excellent and I encourage everyone to read it. It got me thinking though. The article advocates a vegan diet as a realistic and effective way to reduce greenhouse gases, which is essential for the well-being of the planet. But what if everyone went vegan? What would the world be like?
One thing is for sure. There would be very unhappy people and in all probability a great world economic collapse.
For starters, people involved in the following industries would suffer. Meats, dairy, eggs, fast food chains, major supermarkets, all confectionery manufacturers that use dairy in their products, pastry chefs, most restaurants and TV cooking shows, and a host of retail outlets that They sell animal products. The leather and wool industries should also be included, since their products also come from livestock.
When you think about it, there is hardly any aspect of human existence that does not involve products that come from animals. Food, clothing, furniture, sporting goods, the list goes on. Since the major companies that use animals are also listed on the stock market, their disappearance would also have a significant impact on portfolios and pension and retirement funds.
If we were to go one step further and we all stopped eating things that are not good for us, there goes soda, alcohol, and most supermarket foods because they contain trans fatty acids and too much salt and sugar.
It would also mean that people would be healthier, live longer, and not be a burden on the healthcare system. But that is going to put many health professionals out of work (one of the few job sectors that thrive in today’s modern society). The pharmaceutical industry would also be affected. And who is going to pay for the millions of people who are living the longest, as should we suppose they would if they were eating only healthy foods?
Following a vegan diet, while good for the individual, is not something that if everyone did, would ever allow for the survival of the economic system as we know it now. Our system is based on poor health and other problems that people can work to solve. Police trust criminals, soldiers trust the prospect of global conflict, lawyers trust personal and corporate disputes, banks trust people who go into debt, and fast food chains trust people who crave sugar , salt and fat. Do we want to see the ruin of things as we know them now? Hmm … I guess that raises an interesting question. If I’m advocating a vegan diet or vegan lifestyle, which I am, does that make me a subversive?
